𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐅𝐔𝐋 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐎𝐒 | SPINOFF

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

MARCELLA
CRIST

When Damon enters the cafeteria, I give him a disappointed look and turned around, unable to even face him after what happened last night. I had mixed emotions: shyness from what happened between us and humiliation from when he left me in that position. All alone. Damon immediately walks up to Astor's table, astor just came as well, he wasn't in first class and I already asked him where's Avery, he shrugged and turned away.

I couldn't hear what they were saying but Stella, Jaxon, Alessio and Liliana went to check, me and Grayson stayed still, confused. They were arguing, it showed. Damon then turns to Kaiden, they exchanged a few words. Kaiden was a close friend to Damon, not to my brother and the others though, since they weren't in the same class.

Kaiden Cappola was a guy you would see and think of him as quiet and friendly, but I knew no body was just like that. I felt like he had something to hide. The shy in him and silence was covering for something else.

I'm guessing they were arguing over where's Avery. She's been missing for quite a while now, and her phone was off. Avery was the one that needed to be taken care of the most. She tried to take care of others but she's the one going through the most of it. "I'm really going to lose my good guy reputation this year with all this shit going on." Grayson muttered.

"When were you ever a good guy? You're a manwhore, evil, and a monster all in one." I rolled my eyes at him. "By the way, I have to tell you something between us only, something happened between me and Damon."

Grayson gaped, dropping a fry in his mouth. "Jaxon will not be happy, be careful, Marci."

I nodded. "I know, don't mention it to anyone I still didn't tell the girls, I won't tell them until Avery's with us." It would be incomplete without our sunshine girl and her crazy shipping. "I really feel bad for Ava, don't you think? I feel like we always isolated her and bullied her and now she's gone," I admitted.

Grayson shrugged. "She kind of was a slut, to be honest."

"Yeah but she might've been going through something, we never know what someone is going through." I mumbled.

___

AVERY
RAVEN

I stood there, trembling, the weight of the letter in my hands pressing into my chest. It felt heavier than it should have been, like it was suffocating me with every heartbeat. My fingers shook uncontrollably as I clenched it tighter, the pain in my chest intensifying with each passing second. I didn't want her to leave. I couldn't bear the thought of losing Ava-the step sister I loathed.

The cold wind whipped against my face, the distant sound of the crashing waves below echoing in my mind, blending with the chaotic thoughts racing through my head. I should have done more. I should have been there for her. But now, as I stood on the edge, feeling like I was on the verge of losing everything, all I could do was close the letter and fight back the tears.

I turned on my phone, the screen lighting up with messages from my friends, their words a blur, none of it making sense in the overwhelming fog that clouded my thoughts. But I knew exactly where I needed to go. I opened Avalina's contact, and without hesitation, I hit the call button.

Ringing.

Ringing.

No answer.

I couldn't stop. I couldn't breathe. My hands shook as I pressed the voicemail icon. My voice cracked as I spoke, the desperation in my words raw, unfiltered.

"Ava, I'm so sorry," I whispered, my voice faltering with the weight of the apology. "Please... come back. Or take me with you. I'm so scared of him. I don't want to be here anymore. Please, Ava... come back. I... I can't do this without you. I'm sorry for everything, I... I should've been there. I should've helped you."

My voice broke, a sob escaping before I could stop it. "Please don't run, I'm begging you. Take me with you. I don't care about anything else. I just need to be away from him, away from all of this. I need you. Please. Please come back."

The tears fell freely, my voice trembling as I poured every ounce of regret and fear into the message. I sent it, praying she would listen, hoping she would hear the desperation that clung to my every word.

But there was nothing. No reply. No sign of her at all.

I sank to my knees, my body trembling with the weight of the emptiness that threatened to consume me. I felt like I was drowning in guilt, in fear, in the silence that stretched endlessly before me.

Ava wasn't the person everyone thought she was. She wasn't the "mean girl" they painted her to be. It was my father who had ruined her. It was him who had pushed her away, made her feel like she had nowhere to go. And now she was gone, and I was left here, alone and broken, with nothing but the remnants of my mistakes.

I wanted to fix it. I wanted to make it right, but I was afraid it was too late.

I wanted to die. If Ava left and saved herself, I'd be next. And I had no way out. So, the only way was to leave.

Later or sooner, this was my fate. I was going to die anyway.

The weight of it settled over me like a dark cloud, heavy and suffocating. My body trembled as I stood there, staring at the lake, the deep, black water reflecting my inner chaos. I had no strength left, no fight in me. Every piece of me was shattered, scattered like glass on the floor. I was broken beyond repair, and I knew it.

With shaky hands, I dropped my phone onto the grass, and the cold air bit at my skin. I stripped off my long sleeve shirt, my heart pounding painfully in my chest as I moved toward the rocks. Every step felt like a final one, but it was the only choice I had left.

I tied the heaviest rock I could find to the hoodie, the sleeves wrapping around my ankles. The weight of it felt familiar, the heaviness almost comforting in a sick, twisted way. It was a final act of surrender, a last attempt at peace I could never find in this world. The rock would be too heavy and I'd not be able to rise to the shore.

I crawled to the edge of the lake, my breath shallow and erratic. The coldness of the water lapped at my feet, and I could feel the chill creeping up my legs, pulling me into its embrace.

With one last sob, I dropped myself into the freezing water.

I didn't know whether I was imagining, but I heard a scream of my name.

The shock was immediate. Coldness like nothing I'd ever felt surrounded me, stealing my breath, clouding my thoughts. My body fought against the rush of ice-cold water, but the weight at my feet pulled me deeper, faster. The panic set in-my chest burned, my lungs screamed for air, but it felt so far away, so unreachable. As the darkness closed in, I felt every ounce of energy slip away from me, every ounce of will to fight drained into the abyss. The water was too cold, the weight too heavy. The world above felt miles away, and I knew I wasn't coming back.

Avalina won't be worried.

Damon would lose another sister.

I'm going to find peace.